Yanukovich wins first round of Ukrainian election with 11% margin

UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION leader Viktor Yanukovich and prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko both claim to be well placed to win next month’s presidential election run-off, after Sunday’s first round failed to give any candidate an overall majority.

With almost all the votes counted, Mr Yanukovich led last night with 35.42 per cent against 24.95 per cent for Ms Tymoshenko, who is confident of overturning the deficit by attracting the support of most of the Ukrainians who voted for 16 other first-round candidates.

The biggest loser of the election was current president Viktor Yushchenko, who secured less than 6 per cent of votes after five years in power that were characterised by ineffective rule, a constant feud with Ms Tymoshenko and increasingly bitter criticism of Russia.

After a campaign in which candidates accused each other of planning to rig the vote, monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe delivered a glowing report that said the ballot was of a “high quality and showed significant progress over previous elections”. As results came in yesterday, Mr Yanukovich and Ms Tymoshenko declared their willingness to enter discussions with other party leaders to secure their voters’ support in the February 7th run-off.

“The voting shows that some two-thirds of Ukrainians want change,” said Mr Yanukovich, whose fraudulent election victory in late 2004 sparked the Orange Revolution, with huge street protests that swept Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko into power as president and prime minister.

“I am ready to partially include the programmes of other candidates in my own programme . . . I will look for a way to unite all of Ukraine so that everyone can find their place in building a strong state,” Mr Yanukovich said.

Ms Tymoshenko – who analysts say is likely to gain more voters in the second round than Mr Yanukovich – called on other candidates to help defeat him: “I am open to discussion so that we can further unite the democratic forces.”

“I think it is the task of all the democratic forces, who represent more than 60 per cent of people, to ensure that in the second round Yanukovich doesn’t receive a single vote more.” Ms Tymoshenko depicts her rival as a man controlled by corrupt tycoons and Russian interests, while Mr Yanukovich accuses her of populism and incompetence. He has recently softened his previous antipathy towards the EU, while she has improved her own relations with Moscow.